Faults occur in utility supply networks, as in all other complex technical systems. In the context of a cellular, or mobile, network, such faults include the failure of hardware components in the base-stations of the mobile network, failures in other systems which are connected to multiple base-stations (for example the radio network controller—RNC—in a 3G system and which then result in the loss of operation of large sections of the network—e.g. all node B base-stations connected to the RNC) and failures to switching and other more centralised functions, which again would impact multiple areas of the network simultaneously.
When such failures occur, it is important to identify them as quickly as possible, both so that maintenance teams can be dispatched to repair the fault and restore service to the customers of the network and also to enable these same customers to be kept informed about the fact that a failure has occurred (hence relieving customer anxiety that their mobile device may be at fault) and also about the progress of a repair and the likely time at which service will be restored. Such information on service failures and repair progress may be provided by a customer service operative on a ‘helpline’ provided by the network operator or via a web-page, mobile phone ‘app’ or other similar interface available to the end user of the network services.
In other situations, network services may be suspended in order to carry out planned maintenance or upgrades to the network. In such circumstances, the elements of the network (e.g. base-station or stations) which will be affected are known in advance and the duration of the service outage can also be estimated with a reasonable degree of certainty.
In still other situations, poor service may occur as a result of congestion on the network—too many users attempting to make use of too many of the network's resources, simultaneously. Such situations can occur, for example, during rush hour at a busy train station or around the time of an irregular event, such as a sports match or music concert, at a particular location.
At present, operators rely upon a disparate array of systems for managing and reporting faults, planned network outages, progress updates for repairs which are underway and the identification and location of congestion events and other aspects which impact a customer's experience of a mobile operator's network. For a customer, however, all of the above causes result in a single outcome: poor (or no) mobile service. Reporting to customers the fact that such issues are known (or not, which may indicate a problem with the user's mobile device) and when they are likely to be resolved, is becoming increasingly important, in the quest to retain customers and reduce customer ‘churn’ (customers moving from one service provider to another).